Business Profile: The Long Leash

Owner Leanne Southall, fully equipped with her dog-walking utility belt, is always on-call and just as excited as her canine clients to hit the road. – Photo by Gus Herrera

By Gus Herrera

The Long Leash’s dog walking and pet-sitting services have left a trail of wagging tails and smiling owners in and around Pasadena for the past two years. Owner Leanne Southall has had a special connection with and profound respect for animals ever since she can remember, “I’ve always been drawn to animals. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was little, not because anyone told me to, just because I can’t eat animals.”

Southall has been working with animals, in one way or another, since she was 16 years old. She was exposed to the pet industry at an early age, as her parents owned and operated a pet boarding kennel. Not only did this experience cause her love for dogs and cats to “grow exponentially,” it also helped her realize what a huge responsibility it is to care for someone’s best friend, “seeing people leave their ‘babies,’ I just felt honored to be caring for them.”

After college, Southall volunteered in the animal welfare field, worked in violence intervention services, and eventually became a veterinary technician. When Southall and her family moved to Pasadena in 2011 from Toronto, Canada, she would pet sit and dog walk informally, but eventually, word of her talents spread like wildfire and she founded The Long Leash in 2014.

The Long Leash is different than other dog walking services – Southall and her team work hard to develop a relationship with their furry clientele and they do everything possible to ensure peace of mind for their human customers, “people say it’s not rocket science it’s dog walking, but it’s more than that – it’s a relationship for us because these pets are on their own all day, so they look forward to us coming every day.”

The Long Leash offers a variety of services: walking, check-ins/feedings, boarding, and overnight pet-sitting. Most clients are busy, “nine-to-fivers,” seeking daily 30-minute walks, but The Long Leash caters to anyone in need of professional, one-on-one service for their furry family members. Whether it be families on vacation, elderly individuals who lack the mobility to exercise their pets, or even someone recovering from a knee surgery, all sorts of clients trust the Long Leash to care for their buddy as if he/she were their own.

– Courtesy photo

In addition to their unwavering passion, what separates The Long Leash from their competition is their GPS tracking service. Clients receive detailed emails at the beginning and end of walks. Messages include photos, a GPS-tracked route of the walk, and a list of notes (i.e. behavior, feeding/snack information, poop/pee reports, etc.). Each Long Leash team member is equipped with a special utility belt, which includes, water, a portable bowl, locally-produced Bio Bags to clean up waste, homemade treats, and more.

Although the business has seen tremendous growth (both in its reputation and popularity) since its creation only a couple years ago, Southall has chosen to grow her staff at a cautious pace. Staff is critical in the pet-sitting industry – with no specific qualifications or certifications necessary, Southall ensures that each person she hires truly satisfies The Long Leash’s friendly and professional philosophy, “I’ve only chosen people who clearly come from this world, not necessarily with dog experience, but who are called to the animal welfare field. I really want people that care.”

Each member of Southall’s team loves animals and possesses a unique specialty: Skye, the pit bull specialist, is currently in a veterinarian technician program and volunteers at wildlife rescues; Lindsay, the cat specialist, started an elephant sanctuary in Africa where she helps educate locals; and Melissa, who makes locally-sourced, gluten-free homemade organic dog treats, helps rehabilitate nervous dogs at rescues.

Safety and professionalism come first at The Long Leash – the business is licensed with the City of Pasadena and each staff member is bonded and insured. The Long Leash is also a member of Pet Sitters International, a leading educational association for professional pet sitters.

Signing up only requires a few short steps. First, Southall and a member of her team will visit the client’s home to meet the pet and get a sense of what their specific needs are. After this initial meet and greet, scheduling and payment is all automated online. The service is extremely convenient and can adapt to all lifestyles, “it can be ‘hands-off’, if that’s what the clients prefer or they can be in constant communication, through texts and phone calls,” reveals Southall.

The Long Leash also gives back to the community – one percent of all proceeds is donated to an animal-related charity of the client’s choice. In addition to hosting informational sessions at local senior centers, the Long Leash will also be present at the Pasadena Humane Society’s Wiggle Waggle Walk in September.

The Long Leash serves many cities in the San Gabriel Valley: Altadena, Arcadia, La Canada, Monrovia, Pasadena, San Marino, South Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 532-7419, email info@thelongleash.com, or visit www.thelongleash.com. Also, make sure to check out their Pasadena-focused blog at www.thelongleashlocal.com. Southall’s blog is a hub of useful tips, news, and information for local pet owners (especially those new to the area). The site also features guest posts from a local veterinarian, as well as a groomer.

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